eTelecare opens call center training facility

Call center firm eTelecare Global Solutions in Cebu will be opening a Call Center Academy in its facility at the Cebu Asia Town I.T. Park in the next few weeks to sustain the company's strong demand for more call center agents, or eReps.

Benedict Hernandez, the company's vice president and general manager, said the eTelecare Academy Center will serve as the company's honing ground primary for applicants who have not passed in the first or second tries in their interviews.

Also, eTelecare will open the Academy for interested individuals who wanted to take crash course on call center specified skills.

Cebu's eTelecare facility currently employs 600 eReps, with 200 support staff, such as those working in the office administration, and other functions.

With its 1,100 seats capacity in the Cebu operation, Hernandez said the company needs 500 more eReps before the end of this year or early next year to maximize the facility in a 24/7 operation cycle.

Because of its high-standard in recruitment, Hernandez said the company is experiencing about 2 percent acceptance rate, a little lower than that of industry's five percent.

"We need to put more effort in sustaining the demand for growth in our company. We want to be able to have more people," Hernandez said in a press conference.

He said the establishment of the eTelecare Academy is expected to improve the rate of acceptance for employment among the prospective applicants in Cebu.

Currently, eTelecare Cebu director Clive Linssen said the company is hiring 36 people a week, or at least 175 additional call center agents a month.

eTelecare's Academy will offer free training for the prospective call center agents who failed in the first try upon applying with the company, Hernandez said this will train these people to achieve the standard eTelecare is looking for.

However, the company will be collecting training fees from walk-in students, Hernandez said.

eTelecare Cebu call center occupies three floors of the Engineering Science Building (ESB) in Asiatown IT Park, in Lahug, with a total work area of nearly 6,000 square meters.

The Academy will be set up within the three floors and will accommodate around 50 to 100 participants in one to two weeks training.

Majority owned by Filipino capitalists, eTelecare has maintained an executive office in California, with four call center facilities in the Philippines, including Cebu servicing the outsourcing demand of United States companies.



This call center company specializes on customer service, technical support, and outbound marketing service.

The company recently got an award as the Best Employer of the Year, by the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) during the recently concluded 42nd annual convention held in Cebu.

eTelecare is so far the youngest company given with such recognition by PMAP. In the past, the organization has been awarding multinational companies.

eTelecare started in the Philippines with 25 call center agents in the year 2000. Now, it has over 7,000 call center agents around the world, 4,000 of which are employed in the Philippine-based facilities.